It was late in the afternoon before the matron came to check on Fallon, who was trying to breastfeed Danika. Fallon looked up, searching the matron's face for any possible facial expression that might give her away.
"Can I have a word with you?" The matron asked as she shut the door behind her. Fallon knew something bad was about to spring up on her like a bad surprise. Fallon nodded limply. The infant in her arms stirred, flailing her arms and legs. Fallon rocked her, luring Danika with her breast that was leaking milk.
"You had twins." The matron announced. Fallon gasped, looking at Leroy as if to say; i told you so.
"But I'm afraid, she didn't survive it. The sac water had blocked her nose. We are very sorry."
Leroy was no longer on his chair. He was now standing before the matron, gripping her by her shoulders and shaking her forcefully.
"And you people watched her die? You didn't let us go to the hospital. The hospital could have salvaged the situation." The matron looked down.
"I can sue you. The doctor and the royal family. You were careless with her. My baby died a careless death!"
Fallon was too shocked to say anything. Danika was asleep now, so Fallon gently rose from the bed. She could move about now that the IV had been removed from her wrist. She went to the baby's crib and placed a sleeping Danika inside it.
Fallon bunched the hospital gown up her knees, with half of the hem in her right palm.
"I want to see my child. Dead or not." Fallon announced.
You will, but we want to be sure you're mentally healthy to see your baby's corpse."
Leroy was sobbing silently. His shoulders shook as he sobbed.
"I want to see my child. Take me to her." Fallon's voice was strong.
The matron shook her head slowly. Fallon felt like lunging herself at the woman and choking till she turned beetle red.
"Where is my baby?" Fallon was losing her mind. She felt she was being treated like this because she was very young and inexperienced.
The matron walked backwards before turning to open the door. Fallon's hands was hanging limply at her sides.
"You were right." Leroy said softly. Danika started to cry. Fallon dragged herself to the crib to tend to her.
"We have to talk to the king about this. We can't be denied access to see our dead baby." Fallon hated the title attached to her baby, but she said nothing regardless.
Leroy paced around the room. He was disturbed. Their child was dead and they had been denied access to her. Fallon was asleep. Dried streak of tears on her cheeks causes her to look older. Leroy wondered if childbirth did that to women.
A knock on the door startled him. He rose from the only chair in the room and went to check the door. He opened the door a little so he wouldn't wake Fallon or Danika.
It was Priya Khan at the door.
"Namaste." She said, joining both of her palms together. Leroy nodded.
"Is she awake?" Priya asked. Fallon was already awake and was standing behind Leroy infact.
"What is the matter?" Fallon asked in a husky voice. Her voice was strained from wailing and crying.
"You have to come to the matron's ward to see the baby." Priya answered. Fallon froze against Leroy's back. Was she even ready?
"Give us a minute." Leroy spoke for her. Leroy shut the door gently and turned to face Fallon.
"Will you-"
"I don't-"
Both of them said at the same time.
"Go first." Leroy urged her. She smiled weakly.
"I don't think this is a good idea. Seeing my dead baby won't change anything. It can't change anything."
"You wanted to see her, dead or not." Leroy reminded her of her words in the matron's ward.
Fallon thought about it. She could harden her heart and go in there to see her baby, not minding that it would haunt her after. Danika yawned.
"Let's go then." Fallon decided.
Leroy opened door slowly so they wouldn't wake Danika.
"Are you both ready? I'll stay and watch the baby for you." Priya was sincere. Fallon has seen her face back there. She looked like she was unhappy about something that had happened.
"What about the prince's wife?" Leroy blurted out.
"She had a babygirl." Priya answered dryly. Fallon folded her arms across her chest.
"She had a babygirl?" Fallon asked, as if repeating the words would make more sense to her. Priya nodded. Leroy shrugged. He didn't care.
"I'll watch her till you're back." Fallon nodded.
Fallon hated the eyes that followed them as they walked out of the boys' quarters. She knew that people often thought that she was very young, and the fact that she had taken in for Leroy made it worse. Now, they had something interesting to talk about.
Leroy held her hand as they walked. Her mind wouldn't stop exhuming her past. She had never known her parents. She grew up in an orphanage in New York. When she started giving the women who worked in the orphanage a hard time, they decided to find foster parents for her.
During those special visits where couples came to check out the children at the orphanage, Fallon with the big saucer eyes would hide in a corner and cry. Nobody wanted her. But that changed when she saw Leroy.
At the age of thirteen, she started living with her first foster parents. They loved her, but Fallon wanted more than just the love. She wanted peace too. Her foster parents argued and fought all the time. It was affecting her psychologically.
Once, she got in the middle of their fight and took a blow for her foster mother. She slumped to the ground as a result of the heavy impact of the man's fist against her cheek.
That was her last night with them. Then, the Women and Children Rights Movement found another family for her. Fallon loved the family. She had everything she wanted. Her new foster father devoted all of his time, teaching her how to shoot with shotguns and different kinds of arms.
Fallon could easily identify any gun, but of what use was the knowledge to her now? She swore to give Danika the best of everything life had to offer. She grew up without parents. Whoever her parents were, they were either dead or lost somewhere in the Caribbean. They didn't want her. Nobody wanted her, until Leroy came along.
That coffee shop where they met changed her life forever.
As they drew near to the matron's ward, the thick smell of antiseptic and ethanol wafted into her nose. She held her breath for a few seconds before letting go.
They met the Matron who led them to another ward. The matron unlocked the door and stepped aside for them to pass. She went in after them and shut the door.
There was a crib beside the large bed on the left side of the room. The matron pulled the covers back, unveiling the face of the baby.
Leroy quickly covered Fallon's mouth to suppress her scream. The baby looked bloated and burnt red. Its mouth was slightly open, and the eyes were swollen. Fallon peered down at the baby. This baby looked nothing like Danika. If this was Danika's dead twin, where did the blonde hair come from?
Fallon swallowed dryly. This was Jada's baby. This was Jada's baby. Prince Maxwell was so desperate that he had to connive with the nurses to steal her child and swap her with this baby lying dead inside this weird looking crib?
Fallon gave the matron one hard look. No matter what Fallon might say or do, she wouldn't be able to prove the truth. If she decided to call for a DNA test, the royal family would corrupt it. Her enemy was Prince Maxwell of the Sinclair's ruling house.